Traumatic tricuspid regurgitation associated with congenital partial pericardial defect.

Traumatic tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and congenital pericardial defects are rare conditions, there being fewer than 200 recorded cases of each. Here we describe the interesting case of a patient with traumatic TR due to rupture of chordae tendineae in association with a congenital pericardial defect. We suggest that the association of traumatic TR and congenital pericardial defect has a high probability of occurrence. We hypothesize that traumatic rupture of valvular structures occurs readily in patients with congenital pericardial defects.